The leftover rocket will smash into the far side of the Moon at approximately 5,800mph on Friday, away from Earth telescopes’ prying eyes. It may take weeks or even months to confirm the full extent of the impact through satellite images.
Scientists expect the object to carve out a hole 33ft to 66ft across and send moon dust flying hundreds of miles across the barren, pockmarked surface.
Low-orbiting space junk is relatively easy to track. Objects launching deeper into space are unlikely to hit anything and these far-flung pieces are usually soon forgotten, except by a handful of observers who enjoy playing celestial detective on the side.
This particular rocket has been tumbling haphazardly through space for years. Experts believe it was originally launched by China nearly a decade ago. However, Chinese officials are dubious it is one of theirs.
SpaceX originally took responsibility for the lunar litter after asteroid tracker Bill Gray identified the...